Major motion picture studio coming to Utah

PARK CITY — While Sundance brings the stars to Park City every year, the city could now become a premier film destination, too.

Summit County and Park City officials have reached an agreement that would bring Raleigh Studios, a major motion picture studio, to Quinn's Junction, east of Park City. The deal, which has been five years in the making, also includes a hotel and entertainment center.

A lot of movies are filmed in Utah, but this project would bring something that the state doesn't have: a soundstage.

"There's a big push here to see the film industry grow, and we want to be a part of that," said Michael Newport with Raleigh Studios.

"The state of Utah has a goal to bring production facilities to Utah, and we want to help them with that goal," said Tom Bakaly, the city manager of Park City.

Raleigh Studios is the largest independent motion picture operator in the country. It produces popular TV shows like "CSI:Miami" and films like "Iron Man 2" and "The Avengers." The project, and the included soundstages, would allow Utah to compete with neighboring states for production.

"It doesn't hold up production, you can schedule production regularly and it's a cost-saving benefit for the productions," said Joe Bessacini with Film & TV Production Incentives.

Greg Ericksen, a principal with developer Quinn's Junction Partnership, which is teaming with Raleigh Studios to develop and manage the facility, said he believes the new studio will help keep local talent in Utah.

"Instead of graduating in fine arts and leaving the state, students now have an opportunity to develop production skills locally," he said. "This is a major milestone in firmly positioning our state to grow the entertainment industry and bring high-paying jobs to our communities around Utah."

There is one more step in the process, however. As part of the agreement to bring Raleigh Studios to Utah, Park City would have to annex the land. The City Council will consider that during its meeting on Thursday. Once approved, the development could break ground this summer.